Rise in Computer Vision Research Fuels Surveillance Growth

New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) – A comprehensive analysis of research spanning over four decades has revealed a significant five-fold increase in studies associated with computer vision that are linked to developing surveillance-enabling patents. Computer vision, a field within artificial intelligence (AI), empowers machines to analyze and interpret images. Researchers from Trinity College Dublin, Stanford University, and other renowned institutes in the US have examined over 43,000 computer vision research papers and related patents.

Many of these studies have focused on technologies targeting human bodies and parts, raising concerns about infringement on fundamental human rights, especially regarding privacy and freedoms of expression and movement. The proliferation of biometric data collection, including facial recognition and fingerprinting, highlights an increasing reliance on surveillance technology.

"While it's often believed that only a small segment of computer vision research poses risks, our findings illustrate a prevailing normalization of surveillance," stated lead researcher Abeba Birhane, an assistant professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin.

The study, published in the journal Nature, points out how "obfuscating language" is used to make surveillance appear normal or concealed its presence.

"The field's linguistics have gradually adapted to obscure surveillance's reach. Using terms like 'object' to refer to people under study is one such example," Birhane explained.

This analysis offers a comprehensive understanding of how surveillance technology has evolved from computer vision research, presenting an empirical account of its development.

The researchers observed a significant increase in computer vision papers linked to surveillance patents from the 1990s to the 2010s. They noted the tendency to avoid explicitly indicating human targets in documentation, often referring to them as 'objects'.

The US, China, and the UK stand out as key contributors to surveillance technology, with institutions like Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology leading in this area.

Birhane warned, "It's increasingly difficult to evade, disconnect, or live freely, as technology derived from surveillance tools is utilized to exploit and control marginalized groups."

The researchers emphasized that extensive data collection endangers rights to privacy and fundamental freedoms related to movement, speech, and expression.

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